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Thor is the red-haired and bearded god of thunder in Norse mythology and more generally Germanic mythology. He is the son of Odin and Jord, and the grandson of Borr. During Ragnarök, Thor will kill and in turn be killed by Jörmungandr. Thor features strongly in the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson, in which Thor's many conflicts with the race of giants are a main source of plots. Thor is one of the most powerful Norse gods. He uses his superior power to protect Asgard and Midgard. He is also known as the God of Thunder. Thor is often depicted wielding his powerful hammer, known as the Mjölnir. Other times he is depicted wielding the hammer and other two items which are: the iron gloves known as Járngreipr and the magic belt Megingjörð. Several Finno-Ugric peoples have thunder gods with names similar to Thor: Tiermes, Tordöm or Torum ("the golden light", Finno-Ugric). Some, like Estonian Taara even retain the connection with Thursday. Marvel Entertainment released a live-action film titled Thor, loosely based on their version of the god of thunder. Thor was portrayed by Chris Hemsworth.(Thor, 2011 film) A sequel to the film, entitled Thor: The Dark World is set to be released on 2013. Jörmungandr Main article: Jörmungandr It is said and prophesed, that Thor will confront the world serpent Jörmungandr at Ragnarök, and that he will slay the creature, but not before the creature also causes him to perish. Records and accounts Poetic Edda In the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from traditional source material reaching from the pagan period to later times, most of his accounts in the Poetic Edda been included in the Codex Regius, Thor appears and is mentioned in the poems Völuspá, Grímnismál, Skírnismál, Hárbarðsljóð, Hymiskviða, Lokasenna, Þrymskviða, Alvíssmál, and Hyndluljóð. Hárbarðsljóð: In this poem, the ferryman Harbard (Greybeard) competes with Thor, on a verbal contest with one other. The ferryman Hárbarðr (Greybeard) is rude and obnoxious towards Thor who is returning to Asgard after a journey in Jötunheimr. Competition which Thor ends loosing. Prose Edda Origin Scholars have theorized on Thor's role in Germanic religion, his origins and purpose. Scholar Hilda Ellis Davidson ''summarizes that: ''The cult of Thor was linked up with men's habitation and possessions, and with well-being of the family and community. This included the fruitfulness of the fields, and Thor, although pictured primarily as a storm god in the myths, was also concerned with the fertility and preservation of the seasonal round. In our own times, little stone axes from the distance past have been used as fertility symbols and placed by the farmer in the holes made by the drill to receive the first seed of spring. Thor's marriage with Sif of the golden hair, about which we hear little in the myths, seems to be a memory of the ancient symbol of divine marriage between sky god and earth goddess, when he comes to earth in the thunderstorm and the storm brings the rain which makes the fields fertile. In this way Thor, as well as Odin, may be seen to continue the cult of the sky god which was known in the Bronze Age.''Davidson (1975:72). Equipment Mjölnir On most if not all of his depictions, Thor is seen wielding a giant hammer known as Mjölnir that can cast lightning, and only those with the greatest strength could pick it up. Járngreipr The Jarngreipr are depicted as iron gloves or gauntlets used by Thor. Megingjörð Megingjord was a magical belt that increased Thor's already godly physical strength. Lays Lay of Trym The Lay of Trym (original name is þrymskviða) from the Poetic Edda features '''Thor'. It reads as follows: Ballads In Popular Culture Thor's most famous portrayal out of mythology is that of the Marvel Comic's character of the same name, in which he is not only depicted as a god, but also as a superhero, avenger and even traveller of the cosmos. Comic books *Marvel Comics' version of the god of thunder, first appeared in Journey Into Mystery #83.Journey Into Mystery, comic book **Marvel's Thor has also starred on the three existing volumes of the eponymous comic book Thor. **Thor also appears in a number of Marvel Comics' ongoing series, limited and one-shots. He appears as a guest character in Marvel Team-Up. Thor stars in long running series such as New Avengers, Avengers, Mighty Thor, and Journey into Mystery. **In Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe limited series, which is set in an alternate reality, Deadpool mortally wounds Thor, to which Thor replies: What of Ragnarok?, stating that his death should come until Ragnarok happens and not at the hands of Deadpool. Thor dies shortly afterwards. *Image Comics also have a character named Thor, which is very similar to it's mythological counterpart, and resembles the appearance of a viking. Television *Marvel's Thor stars as part of the main Avengers line-up in the hit animated series Avengers: Earth Mightiest Heroes. He is voiced by Rick D. Wasserman. *Marvel's Thor stars as part of a selected team of heroes on the Cartoon Network's animated series Super Hero Squad Show. *Thor is featured in the eponymous tenth and last episode of the documental mythology television series Clash of the Gods. '' Video games *Thor appears as an assist character in the 1995 arcade game titled ''Avengers in Galactic Storm. *Thor appears as a background character in the hit video game Marvel Super Heroes. *Thor appears as an assist partner in Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of the Super Heroes. *Thor appears as a playable character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance. He is voiced by Cam Clarke. *Thor appears as a playable character in the Marvel Super Hero Squad series of products' video game entitled Super Hero Squad. He is voiced by Dave Boat. *Thor appears as a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet. He is voiced by Dave Boat. *Thor is a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online. *Thor appears as a playable character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. He is voiced Jim Cummings. *Thor appears on the Sega developed video game entitled Thor: God of Thunder, voiced by Chris Hemsworth. The game is a tie-in to the 2011 Marvel film Thor. Films *A young Thor stars in a directo-to-DVD Marvel Animated feature film titled Thor: Tales of Asgard. *Thor stars on the direct-to-video film Almighty Thor ''which was produced and distributed by The Asylum. Thor was portrayed by Cody Deal, who auditioned for the role of Thor on Marvel's film. *Marvel Entertainment released a ''Thor feature film on 2011, loosely based on the comic book character. Chris Hemsworth portrayed Thor on the film. *The cinematic version of Thor, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth, reappears in the 2012 film Avengers. *A new film titled Thor: The Dark World, ''which is a sequel to the 2011 film ''Thor, starring the cinematic version of Thor, is set to be released. Portrayal File:Thor in Avengers.jpg|Chris Hemsworth Thor (2011)/Avengers (2012) File:Thor in Almighty Thor.jpg|Cody Deal Almighty Thor Gallery Other depictions In comics In film In television Notes *The painting showcased at the main template of the article was made by artist Abrar Ajmal. *Unsourced accounts state the Mjölnir was only able to be lifted by Thor, strong enough beings or beings who are worthy of the hammer, though it is not specified in what aspects a being needs to be worthy to lift or wield the hammer. References External Links http://www.norsemyth.org/2010/04/mighty-thor-part-one.html Category:Æsir Category:Norse gods Category:Gods of Thunder